This is a help request to the T-Nation.
My step son is 10 years old and if his muscle power equalled his heart the boy would be powerhouse, not that he does not having his faults like we all do. The boy will soon be turning 11 and desperately wants to have a break out year in football this year but he continues to grow vertically and his strength is not there.
In matter of fact his 8 year sister took him down hard yesterday. He wants to be a end so it is not like he needs to be transformed to a interior lineman but he is going to have to get stronger and bigger. I believe in letting the children dictate their pace and I don’t want to give him a program so hard that I run him off.
I am thinking about getting his some sandbags and tires and have him do some Litnotiv type of training. He can do this when i am not there to supervise him and considering his interest in UFC I figure the bags would be a fun thing for him.
Nutrition - I am getting his mom familiar with Berardi concepts to help out there. Also I plan on old school peanut butter and milk.
i was wondering what thoughts or advice would T-Nation members have. I am very open mind and want the best for this kid. His bio dad only gives him stories on how great he once was so I accept the responsiblity for “man” building. Maybe one day my stepson will value what I am trying to do for him.
Being 10, almost 11, he is too young to train intensely. Working out can be beneficial for children of this age, but it should be low intensity and focus on proper form discipline. He has not hit puberty yet and will not be able to gain any significant muscle mass from training this young.
Similarly, having him bulk up now is probably not the wisest thing, as it goes along with the above comment. While feeding him solid, nutritious foods (I like the natural PB and milk idea), trying to gain a significant amount of weight should be done during/after puberty when the hormonal profile is more conducive to this. The tire/sandbags idea is great IMO, as long as the tire and sandbags aren’t too heavy for him.
Right now, as far as gains go, you can look to improve general coordination and motor control, with some minor increases in strength and muscle mass.
Sounds like a plan.
Go for it.
Don’t let the kid hurt himself though.
And eating is probably the most important thing atm.
I have a 6’11" son and a sixth grader who is 6’ at age 12. When they asked for my help, I turned to a trainer named Al Vermeil that I came across here on T-Nation. He has young kids start on a bodyweight circut of burpees, pull-ups, bench dips, step-ups, push-ups, bodyweight squats, and back hyper extensions. I think that most trainers want kids to be able to handle their own bodyweight before moving on to serious training. In my experience, this is good advice.
Should have included this in my last post. Have him eat everything he sees, (make sure he consumes adequete proteins)and make sure he gets nine hours or more of sleep each day. It takes a lot of fuel and sleep for kids to grow to their potential.